The Latest News from Our Field

The number of babies treated for the drug-withdrawal syndrome known as neonatal abstinence syndrome has almost quadrupled in the last decade, according to a new study.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, April 24 - Thursday, April 30, 2015.

Every day in the United States, 44 people die as a result of prescription opioid overdose. When this many lives are affected by addiction and substance abuse, it’s clear we must take action to improve treatment options and prevent drug overdose, explains United States Senator Sherrod Brown

Giving buprenorphine to patients addicted to opioids who are treated in the emergency room is more effective than simply providing them with a referral, a new study finds. Patients given buprenorphine were less likely to need in-patient treatment at a residential facility.

The Food and Drug Administration has warned the makers of eight dietary supplements that their products contain a potentially dangerous stimulant called BMPEA, The New York Times reports.

Hawaii’s state legislature has passed a bill that raises the minimum legal age to purchase tobacco or e-cigarettes to 21. If Governor David Ige signs the bill, Hawaii would become the first state in the nation to prohibit the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to those under 21.

As part of preparation for the United Nations General Assembly’s Special Session on drugs in April 2016, non-governmental organizations are being asked to participate in a survey.

Hospitals across the country have been reporting hundreds of cases of seriously ill people coming to the emergency room after using synthetic marijuana. In New York City, more than 120 cases were reported in a single week, according to NPR.

Overdoses due to opioid drug use could be reduced if more emergency medical service workers were allowed to administer the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, a new government study concludes.

Nationwide levels of heavy drinking and binge drinking are on the rise, but there are large variations in rates of excessive alcohol use across the United States, a new study finds.

Almost one in five public high schools have mandatory drug-testing policies, despite numerous studies that have shown little evidence these programs are effective, The Washington Post reports.

Heroin use rose significantly over the past 11 years, according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In the past year, 681,000 Americans aged 12 and older used heroin.

The American College of Physicians this week urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban flavorings and television ads for e-cigarettes. The group joins many other medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Heart Association, in calling on the FDA to regulate e-cigarettes.

A new national poll finds while 63 percent of Americans say their state should allow adults to use medical marijuana, only 36 percent say children should be allowed to use it.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that police cannot extend a routine traffic stop to allow a drug-sniffing dog to inspect the vehicle unless they have reasonable suspicion of finding contraband. The vote was 6-3, The New York Times reports.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, April 17 - Thursday, April 23, 2015.

A program in Maine is helping to combat prescription drug abuse by providing a monthly list of people arrested or summoned for prescription or illegal drug-related crimes to doctors and pharmacists.

A new government study finds almost 10 percent of full-time workers in the United States report having had a recent substance abuse problem. Nearly 9 percent of workers reported heavy drinking in the past month.

Extended-release naltrexone is associated with a much lower rate of heroin relapse in men who have been released from jail, compared with released inmates addicted to heroin who are not given treatment, a new study concludes.

Michele Leonhart, the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, will step down next month, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday. The agency has been entangled in scandal, and Leonhart has differed with President Obama on drug policy, The New York Times reports.

Edible marijuana products are now being marketed for sick pets, ABC News reports. The products are being sold as natural pain relievers and anti-inflammatory supplements.

A growing number of workers in a wide variety of professions are abusing stimulants in an effort to stay competitive, experts tell The New York Times.

E-cigarette use among teens tripled from 2013 to 2014, a new government report finds. An estimated 13 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes last year—compared with 9 percent who smoked traditional cigarettes.

The rate of OxyContin overdoses dropped 19 percent in the two years after the company that makes the drug introduced an abuse-deterrent formulation in 2010, a new study finds. Prescriptions of the drug decreased 19 percent after the new version was released.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2015 Ramstad-Kennedy Annual Award for Outstanding Leadership by a Single State Authority (SSA). The deadline is Saturday, May 9.